The LSU Lady Tigers celebrated a huge conference victory as they routed the Arkansas Razorbacks 71-34 in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday night.
The Lady Tigers put forward a complete offensive performance on the court, as every player on the team scored.
LSU was lead by junior guard Ayana Mitchell, who recorded a double double with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Three other Lady Tigers also scored in double digits. Sophomore guard Khayla Pointer tallied 10 points and recorded eight assists. Senior guard Shanice Norton scored 13 points. Sophomore guard Karli Seay scored a season high off the bench, putting up 10 points.
Seay’s teammates were excited to see her scoring so much.
“We love Karli,” Pointer said. “She is one of the hardest working players I know. She just goes hard and I am really happy for her. We are really happy for her. She had a great game tonight.”
The Lady Tigers came out and won the first quarter, something they have struggled to do all season. They outscored the Razorbacks 18-5 in the first. This was something they put effort into.
“The last few games we have been losing the game in the first five minutes or first two minutes of the game,” Pointer said. “So we really wanted to put emphasis on making the first punch and not getting down into a whole and having to claw back the whole game. That was really part of our gameplan.”
LSU helped Arkansas to only two assists for the game. They outrebounded them by 20. For the first time in six years, the Razorbacks were held without a single 3-pointer.
“I think, defensively, we were locked in,” Mitchell said. “On the scouting report, we did exactly what we were supposed to do. I give a lot of credit to the guards. They had a tough assignment.”
That tough assignment was the team’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Chelsea Dungee, who entered the game averaging 18.2 points per game.
LSU turned to their main defensive stopper for the matchup, Shanice Norton.
“Everyone has weaknesses,” Norton said. “It is a matter of using what you know about them to make them mess up.”
Dungee was held to 14 points.
The win did come at a price, however. In the second quarter, sophomore guard Rakell Spencer, who was starting her third game in a row, left with an apparent leg injury and was carried off the court. There has been no word yet on the state of her injury.
Since becoming a regular starter, she has been a strong defensive presence in the lineup. She has guarded some of the best players on the opposing teams. Her length has been a big help with defense and rebounding.
“She has really been an x-factor for us the last couple of games,” LSU coach Nikki Fargas said. “We are going to be hopeful that she returns, but I know that Rakell Spencer is somebody that hadn’t been playing all year. When her number was called, she answered that call, and that tells me a lot about who she is as a competitor.”
LSU prepares to travel to Texas A&M on Valentine’s Day to take on the Aggies.